Friday, 16 April 2021
WASHINGTON, APR 16: Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely to respond with military force to “perceived or real” provocations from Pakistan, warns a US intelligence report sent to Congress this week.
The annual threat assessment report – 2021 was prepared by the office of the US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and sent to Congress on Tuesday. It identifies China’s “push for global power” as the number one threat to US interests followed Russia’s provocative actions and threats from Iran.
The report provides “nuanced, independent, and unvarnished intelligence” assessment to “policymakers, warfighters, and domestic law enforcement personnel,” Director DNI Avril Haines wrote in the introductory note.
While assessing possible threats from South Asia, the report warned that “under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to perceived or real Pakistani provocations.”
The report noted that “heightened tensions” in the region “raise the risk of conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, with violent unrest in Kashmir or a militant attack in India being potential flashpoints.”
But the report also said that “a general war” between India and Pakistan during 2021 was unlikely, but “crises between the two are likely to become more intense, risking an escalatory cycle.”
Another US intelligence report to Congress, released last week, had warned that India and Pakistan could go to a war in the next five years over real and perceived provocations.
The report pointed out that some regional conflicts – such as the fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria – had “direct implications for US security,” while “tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan remain a concern for the world.”
Afghanistan
The report assessed the prospects for a peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban in 2021 as low. “The Taliban is likely to make gains on the battlefield, and the Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support,” the report predicted. It also noted that Kabul “continues to face setbacks on the battlefield, and the Taliban is confident it can achieve military victory.”
DNI also noted that Afghan forces continued to secure major cities and other government strongholds, but “they remain tied down in defensive missions and have struggled to hold recaptured territory or reestablish a presence in areas abandoned in 2020.”
Commenting on Iran’s role in Afghanistan, the report said that “Iran will hedge its bets in Afghanistan,” adding that “Iran publicly backs Afghan peace talks, but it is worried about a long-term US presence in Afghanistan.”
As a result, “Iran is building ties with both the government in Kabul and the Taliban so it can take advantage of any political outcome,” the report added.
DNI’s annual threat assessment reports are shared with congressional intelligence committees as well as the committees on the Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
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COURTESY DAWN NEWS
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LONDON, APR 16: Nearly two dozen supporters, purportedly from the UK chapter of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), gathered outside the Pakistan High Commission in London to demand that the Pakistan government expel the French ambassador as well as boycott French products.
Though they did not formally identify a leader or organiser of the protest, they carried the party’s flag and chanted its characteristic “Labbaik” slogan.
The group gathered at Lowndes Square on Thursday afternoon to chant slogans and also submit a petition with their formal complaints to the High Commission. They also protested against the death of TLP workers who were killed during ongoing riots across Pakistan.
The protestors were largely British Pakistanis settled in London, while some had travelled from Birmingham where the TLP is known to have a limited but active presence.
Metropolitan Police officials arrived at the scene and allowed the protesters to raise their concerns in a peaceful manner. Among their slogans, the protesters chanted one in Urdu that translates to inciting violence against someone who commits blasphemy.
The petition detailed the group’s position on blasphemous sketches and summarised their demands to the government about the expulsion of the French ambassador. It also noted that the government had reneged on an agreement with the group and protested the arrest of their leader despite their understanding with government officials.
The government of Pakistan this week moved to ban the TLP after its elements attacked police officials during widespread protests that paralysed major thoroughfares across the country.
In a country policy and information note on Pakistan from December 2020, the Home Office described the TLP as a party that emerged out of a protest movement in 2016 against the state’s execution of Mumtaz Qadri.
It noted that, in its first ever election in September, 2017, “the party surprised Pakistani political elite with a strong showing” by securing nearly 8 per cent of total votes cast in a by-election.
It also added a note from the International Crisis Group report dated January 2019, which said religious groups, spearheaded by the TLP launched violent protests countrywide after the Supreme Court’s acquittal of Aasia Bibi, a Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy by a court in 2010. It said the group attacked police officers and citizens and also destroyed public and private property.
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COURTESY DAWN NEWS
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Thursday, 15 April 2021
Exclusive / Editor-In-Chief
Farukh Shehzad
We love taking trips, whether it’s a short road trip, or a
longer trip by air to some distant exotic place. But all too often we fail to
plan for our trip and the result is frustration and annoyance.
1. For road trips,
get the right maps and plan your route thoroughly. Everything won’t go exactly
to plan, but at least you’ll have much fewer nasty surprises.
2. Never, ever make a
joke about bombs or terrorists near security at an airport. Many people
have jokingly mentioned they have a small bomb in their case as their luggage
is being inspected. Later at the police station they deeply regretted their
stupidity.
3. Be immediately
suspicious in airports, railway or bus stations when someone bumps into
you. It may be a pickpocket. Also be aware if something is spilled on you, or a
spot on your clothing is pointed out to you. These things are designed to
distract your attention from what is really going on: the theft of your
valuables.
4. While cruises make
planning easy with their all in charges, there is likely to be many extra
items that you should budget for. These include, taxes, surcharges and fees,
tipping, drinks, some shore excursions, shopping purchases, etc.
5. The most obvious
thing to check on before setting off on a foreign trip is the state of the
local weather where you are going. You don’t want to arrive in a tee shirt if
it’s snowing, or in a fur coat if it’s in the 90s.
6. When travelling
with children bring along recent photos of each one. If a child gets lost,
the photo will prove invaluable in helping to locate the child again.
7. A trip to a theme park will suffer from a lack of careful planning. Some parks are so big that planning is essential. Get a list of all the rides and a map of the park, as well as opening and closing times, before setting off.
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ISLAMABAD, APR 15: The Government of Pakistan, with the support of UNHCR, has launched a nationwide verification exercise for 1.4 million Afghan refugees during which new smartcards will be issued.
The Documentation Renewal and Information Verification Exercise, or DRIVE for short, was inaugurated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Islamabad by the Federal Minister for SAFRON, His Excellency Mehboob Sultan. The UNHCR Representative, Noriko Yoshida, and the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, Saleem Khan, were also present on the occasion. During the six-month exercise, registered Afghan refugees who currently hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards will be provided with new smart cards.
“The DRIVE exercise is a leap forward for everyone,” Yoshida said, welcoming its launch. “This step will allow refugees to have better, faster and safer access to services, including schools, hospitals and banks,” Yoshida added that in addition to verifying existing data, the exercise will record Afghan refugees’ skill sets, level of education, socio-economic circumstances, allowing better-targeted health, education and livelihood support in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees for four decades, and a lot has changed since the last verification exercise 10 years ago. We must update the data of Afghan refugees to understand their situation better,” said the Federal Minister for SAFRON. Sultan added, “As the country hosting one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world, Pakistan has strived to play its part in assisting and protecting refugees.
It’s important the international community also continue to come forward, and share the responsibility and help find solutions.” The Federal Minister for SAFRON urged POR cardholders to participate fully in this exercise. He also requested that they take all precautionary measures and observe COVID-19 protocols.
Six hundred male and female staff – a combination of government and UNHCR – will be working at some 35 DRIVE verification sites around the country, and using mobile registration vehicles, to support refugees throughout the exercise. Measures are in place at all DRIVE sites to mitigate COVID-19 risks through enhanced hygiene, physical distancing and the scheduling of set numbers of appointments each day.
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Munaza Kazmi
Creating educational disruption, the Covid-19 pandemic has hindered the academic lives of students, also it exposed the lack of technology that is hindering the quality of online education in Pakistan. With the steady increase of virus, world forced to shift from doing things traditionally. Resulting, in March 2020, the Government of Pakistan closed all schools as part of a nationwide lockdown, prompting the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training to seek education alternatives to ensure learning continuity.
However, this timely decision taken by the government not only safeguarded the academic lives of students but also protected a large number of individuals related to the education sector across the board.
Throughout the first wave, out of many initiativestaken by government of Pakistan one was the launching “TeleShool” that would deliver free educational content to grades 1-12 studentsand provided one lesson per day to each grade, so students would have to watch in shifts. Similarly, during the second wave of Covid-19, Radio Pakistan started transmitting “radio school” to encourage virtual learning in the country for primary-level students, as a part of an effort toward overcoming the digital divide.
In the higher-education sector of Pakistan, Virtual University is at the front linefor delivering virtual learning, providing full-time online learning courses, from bachelor's to Ph.D. level, in diversefields. While the virus disrupted education, Microsoft Teamswere deployed in universities to build connection between students and teachers.Previously, Microsoftcollaborated to provide technology-based education in underdeveloped areas. The eLearn Punjab program has generated educational content based on videos and illustrations for primary and secondary school classes. And in tackling the digital divide in gender. The Malala Fundhas investigated Covid-19 as an amplifying factor for the girls’ education crisis in Pakistan.
However, in the due course of pandemic we have also learned about the loopholes among the education sector, to highlight one of the many along the availability of technology is lack of technically trained teachers to run online classes smoothly. To strengthen blended, distance, and online learning, there is a need to provide more awareness and accessibility. There is also a dire need to develop innovative, immersive learning technologies and modern education spaces using virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technology. These technologies, along with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, can change the future of learning by helping us build more interactive, personalized, and productive learning solutions. More specifically, when we talk about practical, hands-on learning, where there is an urgent need for learning material, augmented reality can provide virtual material to help teach with the kinesthetic learning approach.
Seemingly developed countries have innovative and advanced systems for e-learning, allowing them to stay in the loop and keep the learning flow active. But in the scenario of Pakistan, online learning is at emerging stage. Having started as emergency remote learning, it needs further investment to create more adoption and overcome limitations. Along with the establishing the Internet services in remote areas, developing specialized authoring tools, and creating awareness for getting the most out of online learning, moreover faculty need training to use online modalities and innovative pedagogies to reduce cognitive load and increase interactivity.
However, this critical period, which is moving us rapidly toward the adoption of e-learning, can spark more focus on providing Internet facilities in remote areas, developing more innovative, low-cost learning solutions, and creating more adaptive and effective methods of learning in the near future.
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Munaza Kazmi has recently done Master of Philosophy from Bahria University Islamabad. Her debut novel is Unrequited Love.
She’s an author, columnist writing in different newspapers and a researcher having seven publications till yet, she’s been writing since 2016.
You can connect to Kazmi at twitter @munaza_kazmi or on research gate as munaza kazmi.
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ISLAMABAD, APR 15: The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) envoy to Washington confirmed the Gulf state is mediating between India and Pakistan to help the nuclear-armed rivals reach a “healthy and functional” relationship.
Top intelligence officers from India and Pakistan held secret talks in Dubai in January in a new effort to calm military tension over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, people with knowledge of the matter had told Reuters.
Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said in a virtual discussion with Stanford University's Hoover Institution on Wednesday that the UAE played a role “in bringing Kashmir escalation down and created a ceasefire, hopefully ultimately leading to restoring diplomats and getting the relationship back to a healthy level”.
“They might not sort of become best friends but at least we want to get it to a level where it's functional, where it's operational, where they are speaking to each other,” he said.
Ties between India and Pakistan have been frozen since a suicide bombing of an Indian military convoy in occupied Kashmir in 2019 was blamed on Pakistan, leading to India sending warplanes to Pakistan.
Later that year, India's prime minister withdrew the occupied region's autonomy in order to tighten his grip over the territory, provoking outrage in Pakistan and the downgrading of diplomatic ties and suspension of bilateral trade.
Otaiba also said that Pakistan should play a helpful role in Afghanistan, where the United States plans to start withdrawing US troops on May 1 to end America's longest war.
The Emirati official voiced concern that an abrupt US withdrawal would constitute “reverse progress” by serving the interests of “the more illiberal forces” in Afghanistan.
“The question is if the three parties (the US, Taliban and Afghan government) can reach an agreement that they can all live with,” Otaiba said.
“It's hard for us to see a way to stabilise Afghanistan without Pakistan playing a helpful role,” he added.
Turkey is due to host a peace summit for Afghanistan from April 24 to May 4 meant to jump-start efforts to end the war and sketch out a possible political settlement.
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ISLAMABAD, APR 15: Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Wednesday ended the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches against South Africa as the No.1 ranked ODI batsman in the world, overtaking Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
Babar had moved ahead of Kohli to No.1 position after his 103 in the first match of the series. But, he slipped to second (five points behind Kohli) after scoring 31 in the second match.
However, after an innings of 94 in the series finale that earned him the player of the match award, Babar has once again leapfrogged the India captain who has slipped from the top for the first time since replacing AB de Villiers in October 2017, a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.
Babar had started the three-match ODI series 20 points behind Kohli and finished eight points ahead of the India batsman, earning 28 points in the series in which he aggregated 228 runs.
Babar’s No.1 ODI ranking supplements his No.6 Test and No.3 T20I rankings, which is a hallmark of a fine batsman across all three formats. At present, Kohli is the only other batsman to feature inside the top six across all formats, the PCB said.
"Babar is the fourth Pakistani batsman after PCB Hall of Famers Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad, and Mohammad Yousuf to peak to the top in the ODI batting table," it added.
Reacting to the news, Babar Azam said: “I feel privileged and honoured to have joined the company of stalwarts like Abbas, Miandad and Yousuf, who will always be shining stars in Pakistani cricket.
“This is another milestone in my career, which will now require even more hard work and absolute consistency with the bat in order for me to hold on to the ranking for an extended period of time, like Sir Vivian Richards from January 1984 to October 1988 and Kohli for 1,258 days.
“I have also previously topped the T20I rankings, but the ultimate ambition and goal is to lead the Test rankings, which are the real testament and reward to a batsman’s calibre, reputation and skills. I understand that to achieve this objective, I will not only have to perform consistently, but more importantly, against the top sides," he said.
“I am looking forward to this challenge and remain confident I will be able to accomplish this target with the support of my teammates and coaching staff.
“But at this stage, I will savour the moment as it has come almost 18 months after I was first appointed the white-ball captain and that too at the back of my performances that helped Pakistan become the first Asian side to win two ODI series in South Africa," he said.
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ISLAMABAD, APR 15: During the 18th Huawei Global Analyst Summit attended by more than 400 guests of analysts, experts, key opinion leaders and media representatives from around the world, Eric Xu, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, shared the company’s business performance in 2020 as well as five strategic initiatives moving forward.
According to Mr. Xu, Huawei will:
1. Optimize its portfolio to boost business resilience. As part of these efforts, Huawei will strengthen its software capabilities and invest more in businesses that are less reliant on advanced process techniques, as well as in components for intelligent vehicles.
2. Maximize 5G value and define 5.5G with industry peers to drive the evolution of mobile communications.
3. Provide a seamless, user-centric, and intelligent experience across all user scenarios.
4. Innovate to reduce energy consumption for a low-carbon world.
5. Address supply continuity challenges.
“Rebuilding trust and restoring collaboration across the global semiconductor supply chain is crucial to bringing the industry back on track,” stressed Eric Xu.
“Moving forward, we will continue to find ourselves in a complex and volatile global environment. Resurgence of COVID-19 and geopolitical uncertainty will present ongoing challenges for every organization, business, and country. We believe deeply in the power of digital technology to provide fresh solutions to the problems we all face. So we will keep innovating and driving digital transformation forward with our customers and partners to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.”
William Xu, Director of the Board and President of Huawei’s Institute of Strategic Research, began his keynote by discussing challenges that will affect social well-being over the next decade, including ageing populations and increasingly high energy consumption. He followed with Huawei’s outlook on the intelligent world of 2030, including nine technological challenges and proposed directions for research efforts. These include:
1. Defining 5.5G to support hundreds of billions of different kinds of connections
2. Developing nanoscale optics for an exponential increase in fiber capacity
3. Optimizing network protocols to connect all things
4. Providing advanced computing power strong enough to support the intelligent world
5. Extracting knowledge from massive amounts of data to drive breakthroughs in industrial AI
6. Going beyond von Neumann architecture for 100x denser storage systems
7. Combining computing and sensing for a hyper-reality, multi-modal experience
8. Enabling people to more proactively manage their health through continuous self-monitoring of personal vital signs
9. Building an intelligent Internet of Energy for the generation, storage, and consumption of greener electricity
“In the decade to come,” said William Xu, “we can expect to see many great improvements in society. To promote these efforts, we hope to join forces with different industries, academia, research institutes, and application developers to address the universal challenges facing humanity. With a shared vision, we all have a role to play as we explore how to make connections stronger, computing faster, and energy greener. Together, let’s march ahead towards an Intelligent World in 2030.”
The first Huawei Global Analyst Summit took place in 2004, and has been held annually ever since. This year’s summit, “Building a Fully Connected, Intelligent World” with a number of breakout sessions where industry experts from around the world can share their unique insights and discuss future trends.
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KARACHI, APR 15: Fresh St! hosted a cooking class in collaboration with Karachi Chefs At Home (KCH) and Shireen Anwer. The skillful and renowned chef Shireen Anwer taught the audience a total of six, distinct and appetizing dishes.
On the occasion, Samrah Munsub, Director, Samrah Enterprises, said “We’re so humbled and proud of the response we have got from today’s event. We aim to provide our consumers with a wide range of high-quality products available to them through one reliable brand name.”
M. Salman, VP Marketing, Samrah Enterprises, said “After years of research, development and testing, we introduced a wide range of sauces & condiments to entice the taste buds of consumer. We are committed to make life easier for homemakers by providing products everyone can trust.”
Shireen Anwer, an expert Chef, added, “I really enjoyed using the wide range of products that Fresh St! has to offer, I have tried them before as well and I believe they are really good quality products. I’m definitely going to stock up on these products and I encourage all my students to do so as well.”
Saba Mohsin Sheikh, Admin Karachi Chefs At home, also added, “It was an honor to be a part of this event and working so closely with Samrah Enterprises & Shireen Anwer. Everyone who attended the event learned a great deal. Everything you need to prepare your favorite dish and satisfy your cravings with is all available within the umbrella of House of Samrah.”
All those who were a part of the audience also received goody bags, courtesy of Samrah Enterprises, full of some Fresh St! as well as other brand Goodies for them to enjoy. The audience was aslo really excited as they also got to be a part of an exclusive tasting of the premium new range of Hills & Vales ice cream.
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ISLAMABAD, APR 15: Embassy of Hungary, Islamabad and Center for Global & Strategic Studies, (CGSS), Islamabad are jointly organizing an Article Writing Competition titled “The Socio-Economic Dimensions of Hungary”. The details for participation are as below:
Eligibility Criteria & Incentives
- Intermediate Students
- Age Limit 14 – 18 years
- Best Articles to be published in renowned national & International Newspapers
- Certificate of Appreciation for best articles by the Embassy of Hungary, Islamabad
Topics
- The rich heritage and distinct culture of Hungary
- Tourism in Hungary
- Hungary’s Economic Development in the last decade: A success story
Author Guidelines:
- Word Limit: 1000 - 1200 Words
- Articles must be solely written by the participant
- Copy-pasting is not allowed
Rules:
- Articles must be submitted in Word Format
- Include Name, Age, City, Contact number, Email ID and your photograph
Kindly Email your articles at cgssarticles@gmail.com
Last Date of Submission is 15th May 2021.
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COURTESY CGSS
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ISLAMABAD/BAKU, APR 15: The third session of the International conference New Vision for South Caucasus: Post-Conflict Development & Cooperation was held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The conference was jointly organized by ADA University and the Center of Analysis of International Relations, Azerbaijan.
Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan chaired the session and addressed the participants of the International Conference. 30 participants from 10 countries participated and Pakistan was represented by Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad, Pakistan.
Ilham Aliyev highlighted the devastating atrocities committed by Armenia in the occupied lands, he mentioned that the destruction caused by Armenia was beyond imagination. The President also emphasized that Azerbaijan took care of all people left behind by Armenia in the newly liberated areas.
During the interactive session, Khalid Taimur Akram appreciated the visionary leadership of Ilham Aliyev and congratulated him and the Azerbaijan armed forces for their historic victory against Armenia & liberation of occupied lands.
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COURTESY CGSS
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